February 15th, 1993, "Dax"
Fiver by ceedj (never heard of this guy, either)
The Episode
Station log. stardate 46910.1. Chief O'Brien has escorted his wife back to Earth to celebrate her mother's hundredth birthday. In the meantime, the rest of us are trying to keep the station up and running.
I get that people live longer in the 24th century, but even so waiting until you're in your seventies to have a kid seems dubious. Why not have it be Keiko's grandmother, the one she talked about in "Violations"?
DAX: The technology looks like something the Cardassians must have taken from the Romulans.
One wonders if Garak stole it back when he was the gardener at the embassy on Romulus. Was that before or after he killed Proconsul Merrok?
But seriously, I'd expect the Romulans to be very protective of their tech.
BASHIR: Another raktajino?
I must've suppressed the memory that raktajino was introduced this early. Knowing of kopi luwak, I have to wonder if raktajino beans are soaked in blood before roasting.
DAX: It'll keep me up all night.
BASHIR: I can think of better ways of keeping you up. And they're more fun than drinking Klingon coffee.
For Trek this is positively dirty.
BASHIR: Not necessary, Julian. But not forbidden, either.
And the creators were surprised that viewers didn't like him?
SISKO: Full station security alert. Secure all turbolifts, seal off airlocks for levels four through twelve. Computer, locate Lieutenant Dax.
COMPUTER: Lieutenant Dax is on level six, corridor one.
BASHIR [OC]: No, that's where I am. They just left her comm. badge.
Look, I understand that at times the commbadge is the only way to find a person. When a person is on a ship, space station, or within the range of a colony's sensor array is not one of them. If Voyager can keep track of the mental state of everyone at all times, I expect DS9's computer to keep track of a few hundred different people.
KIRA: We've got eight ships in dock capable of warp five or more. Three on docking pylons, five smaller ones in the ports.
SISKO: Seal off all docking ring airlocks.
You didn't do this already? Frankly all bulkheads in the vicinity should've been locked shut by now.
KIRA: Isolating with cadderon force fields.
Only mention of cadderon force fields. It makes you wonder what the point was. Was this supposed to indicate that Cardassian force fields are different as a Chekov's Gun for later?
SISKO: I'm trying to speed up the bleed-off process in the graviton generator.
(The ship undocks.)
KIRA: We lost them.
SISKO: It's working. I'm increasing the flow to the EPS wave guides.
Seriously, why is Sisko doing this? Why doesn't O'Brien have an assistant?
If this is supposed to tie into his experiences in starship design back at Utopia Planitia, that could've been made more explicit. "Let me try a trick that I learned back at Utopia Planitia."
SISKO: We've got eighteen, twenty years of friendship behind us.
DAX: I'm Jadzia Dax now. That was Curzon Dax you knew for twenty years.
SISKO: So when the Dax part of you survived from one host to the next, it really didn't take our friendship along.
DAX: Benjamin, you know you're still my very dear friend. I'm sorry.
So why'd she bring it up? If the intention was to show that "control" slides more towards Jadzia or Dax at different times, they could've done a better job explaining that.
KIRA: You Klaestrons are allies of the Cardassians. Your knowledge of this station confirms that. They must have given you the layout, which not only compromises Bajoran security, but also annoys us.
Kira does make me smile sometimes.
QUARK: For how long?
ODO: As long as it takes.
QUARK: That could be for days!
ODO: There's nowhere else on the station that's suitable.
Really? There isn't a single empty cargo bay that they could refit for the purpose? I get that this is a great scene, but they could've put more thought into it. For example, explaining that most of the station is still unusable after the Cardassian withdrawal.
QUARK: This is blackmail.
ODO: No, it's just business. And business is business.
Shockingly this isn't a Rule of Acquisition. An appropriate Rule for this situation would be 33 (It never hurts to suck up to the boss).
RENORA: This will be an informal hearing, so I'm going to start with some informal advice. I am one hundred years old. I do not have time to squander listening to superfluous language. In short, I intend being here until supper, not senility. Understood?
Cute line.
SISKO: I want you to find all the medical evidence you can to support the theory that Jadzia Dax and Curzon Dax are two entirely separate people. Major
BASHIR: Excuse me, sir. I don't know that there is any medical evidence on that.
SISKO: Assume there is, then find it.
Of course Curzon and Jadzia are different! Even if you argue that 90% of the fusion is Dax, the other 10% is still the host.
KIRA: Is a Trill responsible for the conduct, for the acts of its antecedent selves.
SISKO: Right. That kind of thing.
Wouldn't this have been settled in court decades ago?
ENINA: Curzon Dax was not responsible for the death of my husband.
(Enina is played by Fionulla Flanagan, who will be Data's 'mother' later in the year.)
And the Amazing Thing That I Learned Today is that this episode was made before "Inheritance." And that she was also in an episode of ENT. And that she was in the Jim Carrey Christmas Carol.
ENINA: How is he?
ODO: Ma'am?
ENINA: Curzon Dax.
ODO: He's gone. The Dax your son is trying to extradite is Jadzia Dax, a twenty eight year old woman. Curzon Dax died two years ago. Jadzia is the new host.
ENINA: What? I'm sorry. I didn't know.
Good moment.
PEERS: Because another Trill is involved, the Trillian government requested that I be present during the extradition.
"Trillilan?" I'm so shocked that I'm not even going to make a Hitchhiker's joke.
TANDRO: So if a crime is committed by a Trill, then the symbiont's next host would remain aware of it, would recall that crime?
PEERS: Yes, absolutely.
TANDRO: Would recall the details of it.
PEERS: Yes, absolutely.
TANDRO: And would still feel the guilt of it.
PEERS: Oh, yes.
And? So? These are observations, not arguments. Just 'cause a previous Dax host was a murderer and remembers the details doesn't mean that a future one is equally capable of murder.
BASHIR: The symbiont and the host are biologically interdependent. Ninety three hours after they've joined, neither can survive without the other.
No. After 93 hours a symbiote has to be in a new host or those pools in the caverns on Trill. The host dies. It isn't an equal arrangement.
TANDRO: In fact, is there evidence of any change at all in the symbiont since it joined with this new host? Yes or no.
BASHIR: (big pause) No.
New memories won't change the brainwave frequency of the symbiot. Duh.
SISKO: My God, Dax. Young Tandro, that wouldn't be your son?
DAX: You have an overactive imagination, Benjamin.
Uh, they never answered this one. Memory Alpha says that the general is his father, but who knows?
Actor Gregory Itzin was 45 at the time of this episode. Everyone says that Curzon Dax was there 30 years ago. I don't think that the affair lasted over ten years.
DAX: Do you remember that Argosian lieutenant who threw a drink in your face?
Only mention of Argosians in canon. Of course they were mentioned in a few novels.
ENINA: Madame Arbiter, Curzon Dax is accused of sending a transmission to the enemy that betrayed my husband. But I know where Curzon was at the exact time that transmission was sent. He was in my bed.
Talk about a mike drop moment.
ENINA: As for you, there is one favour I would ask.
DAX: Of course.
ENINA: Live, Jadzia Dax. Live a long, fresh and wonderful life.
I always remembered this scene. The episode really is good.
The Fiver
Sisko: Your honor, if the glove doesn't fit, you must aquitt!
Judge Judy Renora: Nice try, Mr. Cochran.
The fiver was written in 2006. I'm surprised that the OJ trial was still such a big cultural event (although I think I did see a snippet of the Bronco chase live at the time).
Ilon: I submit that blah blah blah, joined Trill, blah blah blah, same memories, blah blah blah, here's a fiver, let's call it even, okay?
This joke has several layers.
Ilon: Is there a difference between technobabble and technobabble?
Bashir: Um...
Ilon: DON'T WAIT FOR THE TRANSLATION, ANSWER THE QUESTION NOW!
I really do need to get around to reviewing the movies one of these years...
Nitpicker's Guide
* How did Odo and Enina get to DS9 from Klaestron so fast? They would've had to do it in a few hours to arrive in time!
* Phil has a long speech about the conflicts between TNG Trill and DS9 Trill, but I've already harped on this one long enough.